Broccoli Stir Fry Curry (3 ways)

Broccoli Stir Fry Curry made in 3 ways. Whether you love cooking with broccoli or want to try out this veggie for the first time, these recipes will help you whip up easy and delicious broccoli dishes made in Indian style. These go well on the side with any kind of meal consisting of rice, chapati, roti, pasta or noodles. If you are veggie lover, eat on its own with a sprinkle of lemon juice.

About Broccoli Stir Fry Curry

Broccoli is native to Mediterranean region and is fairly a new veggie to the Indian cuisine. So this means we don’t have any Indian broccoli recipes that were passed on to us for generations from our mothers and grandparents. Enthusiastic home cooks like me have learnt to cook it in many innovative ways to suit the Indian palate.

Though you can cook broccoli similar to cauliflower, using broccoli in cauliflower recipes won’t always work. Fresh raw broccoli has a grassy and vegetal flavor. So cooking this with plenty of spices can mute the actual flavor of the veggie.

I often sauté broccoli with curry leaves, garlic, green chili, mustard and cumin seeds, finish it with lemon juice. But overtime my family gets bored with that and my boys always look out for a change. So I needed different ways to cook with this veggie and I am sharing the same in this post.

My first recipe is a broccoli stir fry with potatoes and Indian spices. It is basically a dry side so we usually eat this with rice, rasam or sambar. This also goes well in wraps/kathi rolls. The second recipe is a stir fry curry made with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli and spices. We serve this with rotis. The third recipe is a creamy broccoli dish. It’s inspired from a creamy broccoli mash recipe but my dish does not use cream and is not mashed.

Ingredients & Substitutes

• Broccoli: Choose broccoli that looks tight with dark green florets and firm stems. It should have a fresh grassy smell.
• Potatoes: I love adding potatoes to my broccoli stir fry and my boys love that combo. But they can be replaced with sweet potatoes, green peas, carrots, bell peppers, broccolini, sweet corn or diced pumpkin. I have a broccoli corn carrot stir fry here.
• Garlic and green chilies: Garlic is used for flavor but you can also use ginger and garlic both or only ginger. Green chilies add heat and flavor to the dish. Indian or Thai green chilies and serrano peppers are some choices. You may omit them or use dried red chilies.
• Spices: I use cumin seeds but you may omit if you don’t like. All my 3 recipes shared below use garam masala and red chili powder. You may substitute garam masala with a good brand of Indian curry powder. I have a tried and tested curry powder recipe here that I use in this recipe.

Much like cauliflower, broccoli need prepping up before cooking. If you are new to this veggie, here are 2 ways to clean and prepare it.

1. Rinse the whole broccoli head under cold running water first and then under warm running water. You don’t want to use hot water here else you will end up blanching it. Cut to desired sizes.
2. Cut up to florets and add them to a large bowl of warm water. If you want to bring out any hidden bugs, add 1 parts vinegar to 2 parts warm water. Alternately spray vinegar over the whole broccoli. Rest for 2 to 3 mins and rinse with clean water.

Expert Tip – Broccoli is best cooked for a short time to retain its crunch.

More Vegetable recipes
Aloo gobi
Bhindi masala
Baby corn fry
Jeera aloo
Zucchini stir fry

Photo Guide

Step by step Photo Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they begin to sizzle add chopped garlic and green chilies.

2. Saute for 30 seconds and add diced potatoes. Fry for a minute. I used half inch cubes here, you may use larger pieces but they take time to cook.

3. Cover and cook on a low to medium heat until al dente, yet fork tender. Stir in between to cook evenly. It took me about 5 to 6 mins. If they don’t cook quickly you can also sprinkle some water.

4. Check if the potatoes are done. Do not overcook them else they can turn mushy by the end.

5. Stir in turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder (optional) and coriander powder (optional). Avoid adding too many spices here.

6. Mix well and fry for 30 seconds. Quickly sprinkle 1 tbsp water to prevent the spices from burning.

7. Add broccoli and saute for a minute.

8. Sprinkle some salt and little oil if required.

9. Stir fry just for 3 to 4 mins, until tender yet crunchy. Avoid overcooking, you don’t want soggy and too soft broccoli. (the cook time may be different for you depending on the size of the florets and the kind of pan.)

Sprinkle sesame seeds and lemon juice. Serve broccoli stir fry with rice, roti or just as a side. You may refrigerate the leftovers for 2 days but broccoli is best served immediately after cooking.

Recipe 2 – Broccoli Curry

Ingredients

• 2 heaped cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 to 1 cup capsicum or potatoes or peas (optional)
• 1 pinch of mustard seeds (optional)
• ½ tsp cumin seeds (optional)
• ¾ to 1 tsp ginger grated or ginger garlic paste
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 small onion sliced thinly or chopped finely
• 1 medium tomato chopped finely (deseed if you prefer)
• Salt and turmeric as needed
• ½ tsp Red chili powder
• ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala
• 1 to 2 tbsps roasted and crushed peanuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat 3 to 4 cups of water in a pot until slightly hot. Add salt and add the florets. Leave them for about 5 minutes. This helps any hidden worms come out to the water. Drain off the water and rinse them well under running water. Drain them to a colander and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard and cumin seeds (both optional). When they begin to sizzle, add ginger or ginger garlic paste. Saute until it turns aromatic, for 40 to 50 seconds.

3. Add sliced onions and saute until transparent.

4. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric and fry until the tomatoes turn completely mushy.

5. Sprinkle garam masala, red chili powder and saute for one to 2 minutes.

6. Add broccoli, capsicum or peas. On a medium flame saute until broccoli is tender, yet crunchy.

Garnish with crushed peanuts if you want. Serve broccoli sabzi with roti or rice.

Recipe 3 – Broccoli stir fry with almonds or coconut

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups broccoli florets or minced
• ¾ cup onions chopped finely
• 2 tbsps oil
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 green chili slit
• ¼ tsp cumin/jeera
• 1/8 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/3 tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
• ¾ to 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 to 4 tbsps thick coconut milk or 10 to 12 soaked cashews or almonds or 3 tbsps. fresh raw coconut
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, mustard and curry leaves. When the seeds splutter, add chopped onions and saute till they are lightly golden. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute, till the raw smell disappears. Add broccoli florets, sprinkle salt and stir fry for 2 to 3 mins. Stir in red chili powder and garam masala. Cover and cook for 1 minute.

2. When the broccoli is tender, add thick coconut milk or cashew cream/ almond puree and saute on a medium high heat for 2 to 3 mins. If using cashews or soaked almonds, puree them in a blender with 3 tbsps water to a smooth cream. Taste test and adjust salt to taste.

Serve creamy broccoli immediately hot or warm.

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